Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG) has filed a 40-page defamation lawsuit against WIRED magazine following a report that alleged the venue maintains a secret watchlist of celebrities, including an internal blacklist targeting LGBTQ individuals.

The WIRED article, titled "Madison Square Garden Kept a List of Gay Celebrities," claimed MSG used internal databases to track VIP guests and celebrities by characteristics such as race, sexual orientation, and gender identity, assigning "risk scores" ranging from low risk to "DO NOT HOST." According to WIRED, the scores tracked social media criticism rather than physical safety threats, flagging celebrities who spoke out against the venue to block them from receiving free tickets. The report named comedian Adam Pally as "not to be hosted," hip-hop artists Lil Jon and DaBaby as "high risk," and country singer Morgan Wallen as "medium risk." It also identified nearly 100 names labeled as "LGBTQIA," including Ricky Martin and Phoebe Bridgers.

MSG's lawsuit accuses WIRED of using stolen data obtained from the ShinyHunters cyberattack and cherry-picking fragments to manufacture a false narrative portraying MSG as discriminatory toward the LGBTQIA community. The company insists the database is used for relationship management purposes, not discrimination. MSG stated, "WIRED combed the dark web, obtained data stolen from MSG by an extortionist hacking group, and cherry-picked fragments of that data to manufacture a false narrative portraying MSG as targeting the LGBTQIA community for discriminatory purposes."

WIRED responded by affirming the accuracy of their reporting and announced plans to vigorously defend against the lawsuit, calling it baseless and ridiculous.

The controversy comes amid previous scrutiny of MSG's use of facial recognition technology to enforce bans on certain individuals, including lawyers involved in lawsuits against the company. The venue recently hosted NBA Finals games between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks in New York City, attended by notable figures such as President Donald Trump.

Sources